book – Life with Ólöf

Backyard, beekeeping, bees, book, Homegrown Honey Bees, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Review, self, simplicity

Homegrown Honey Bees- Book review

February 14, 2013November 25, 2019 Olof

So, I will be keeping bees this spring and I am trying to read as much as possible because that is what I do. My ADHD kicks in and I hyper-focus only on one thing. I found a book that looked like it was user friendly on Amazon and then when I started reading it I realized that it was perfect for the first time beekeeper. It’s called Homegrown Honey Bees: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Beekeping Your First Year, from Hiving to Honey Harvest by Alethea Morrison. It is to the point and has everything in it step by step. It teaches you about the life cycle of bees, how to get started, the gear you need, the first month in weekly steps, The first season, How to collect your first harvest and when, what to do if your colony doesn’t survive it’s first winter, what sort of bee illnesses there are out there and how to treat them, how much work a hive really is. It also has great little stories of beekeepers and their accomplishment and bumps in the road.

The photos taken by Mars Vilaubi are VERY good. I’m a visual learner and Mars did an exceptional job of capturing all the different things that I needed to see to really understand. They even have photos of what bee stings look like for those of us that have never been stung.

I learned a lot in the past few days and am now not as ignorant about beekeeping as I was. I know that Drones are not the worker bees that I thought they were but just boys waiting to get lucky then only to die because their penis is ripped off after mating. That the queen only gets to get lucky for a short period of time and then she keeps the sperm to make enough bees to keep a colony going for several years (wow). That the other ladies of the hive do all the work and even decide on if it is time to rear more queens because the one in charge is ill or old or that the hive is getting too cramped to keep everyone in it so it’s time to swarm with a new queen. I’ve learned how to keep my hive from swarming by introducing enough space and so much more.

The only thing it does not really cover is how to split your hive to make more hives from your own bees but that’s what youtube is for right? Other than that I did not see many flaws in the book as a novice. I will be looking at this book many times in the process of getting started with my bees. This is a book that you keep referring to as you are starting out but for more in depth information I think a bee mentor will be the way to go. So off to my local bee club that luckily meets less than a mile from my home. I look forward to meeting more beekeepers and pick their brain and then enjoying the buzz of the bees and the honey they will provide my family.

Hope you are all happy, healthy and living the life you love.

Happy Valentines day

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The Creative Family- Review

January 28, 2013November 25, 2019 Olof

As many of you have noticed I have linked to Amanda Soule’s blog quite a bit here lately. Following her lead in being present for my children and self. She inspires me in so many ways as a mother and as a woman. I really started reading her blog first when I borrowed the book The Creative Family from my friend Anna a few years back. It’s on how to encourage imagination and nurture family connections. This book is inspiring and brings you in. It is well written and has a lot of tips on how to inspire creativity and gratitude in your children even if you don’t feel very creative yourself.

Table of Contents:

Part One: Gathering

1. Preparing Your Creative Mind– Gratitude. Inspiration is Everywhere

2. Gathering Materials– Use the Good Stuff. The Best Toys

3. Being Resourceful– Alternative Art Material. Clothing Recommendations. Toys from Natural Material

Part Two: Playing

4. Encouraging Imagination– Weaving a Story. The Power of Imaginative Play. On Stage. Playing in the Parlor.

5. Supporting Your Young Artist– Family Drawing Time. Art-on-the-Go Bags. Freezer-Paper Stenciling. Displaying Children’s Art. Creating with Children’s Art

6. Sharing the Tradition of Handmade– Embroidering with Children. Sewing with Children. Knitting with Children. Felting with Children.

Part Three: Living

7. Exploring Through Nature– Finding Your Spot. Seeking the Wild. Garden Journal. Fairy Houses. Changing the Seasons.

8. Capturing Moments– Children with Cameras. Saving Spaces. Keeping it all Together. Your Life Story.

9. Everyday Rituals– Meeting in Bed. Mealtime Gatherings. Bedtime Bags.

Part Four: Connecting

10. Celebrating Your Family– Family Celebrations. Birthdays. A Visit from the Tooth Fairy.

11. Handmade Holidays– A Child’s Wonderland. A Gift to the Earth. Giving Handmade. Supporting Handmade.

12. Creative Connections– Craftism. Hootenanny. Art Night. Art/Craft Show. Creating with Food.

Just reading over the contents inspires me.When I read the book the first time I read right through it and incorporated a few of the things in it to my family like family art journaling, leaving instruments out for my kids to enjoy when they feel like it, and I really took to heart simple toys and connecting with nature. But one only gets so much from something when you read through it all at once. I got the book out again yesterday, since I am going through the Hectic to Harmonious Home Cleans, and started reading. Looking for new inspiration. Especially about birthdays, since Magni’s 3rd birthday is on Saturday. I’m wanting to make him a birthday crown and one for each one of my children as well. She says that she writes love letters to her children on their birthdays. I have started something similar. Each child gets a journal that is brought out on their birthdays and special occasions and everybody writes something in it as a message to the child. It starts with their birth story and keeps going from there.

If you are like me and are looking for a way to teach your children how to connect with nature, art and to their fellow man, then this is the book to get ideas on how to do so. You might not do things exactly like Amanda but you can pick and choose what you want out of the book and if you are like me then you will try quite a few and tweak them to your liking. I recommend rereading it again later to remind you of some things that you wanted to try but wanted to start small.

Amanda has written two other books Handmade Home: Simple Ways to Repurpose Old Materials into New Family Treasures and The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasons and I really look forward to reading them as well and hope to be able to write a review about them here soon as well.

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Tiny Treads-Review and Giveaway

January 27, 2013November 25, 2019 Olof

Those that know me know I have three boys under the age of five. I’ve always wanted to knit socks for my older boys but had a hard time finding patterns that were sized so that I knew that they would fit with out me having to fit them on them all the time and have been too busy to design my own. The Cooperative Press has been nice enough to share with me a PDF copy of a new sock knitting book for children that just came out, Tiny Treads by Joeli Caparco. If you have kids and like knitting socks or you want to start knitting socks but not ready for adult size socks this is the book for you. They work up quickly and are great as holiday and birthday gifts. As soon as I got it I cast on for the Pied Piper using sock yarn I had bought for the purpose of knitting for my kids years ago. The instructions are easy to follow.

What I love about the book is that there is sizing in both English/American sizes and European sizes as well making it very easy to find the right size to make when gifting socks and the size range from newborn to big kid sizes. She does both toe up and top down knitting. The patterns work for both boys and girls and the photos show off the sock very well.

The only things I would have changed is that I’m not a fan of the font of the titles, which doesn’t get in the way of making the socks but for some reason the font just bothers me, and there are no pages in the book that show finishing techniques or how to cast on toe up socks with photos. Other than that the book is great and I love supporting crafty mothers.

The Cooperative Press is being kind enough to give an electronic copy of this book to one lucky reader.
You can enter up to 4 times just read how and post a comment for each entry. Don´t forget to leave a way to contact you in the post.
1. Follow my blog and leave in the comment thread how you are following my blog
2. Follow me on twitter. and if you already follow me on twitter then tweet about the giveaway
3. Like my Facebook page if you already like my page then share the post about this giveaway
4. Tell me which one of the patterns is your favorite and you would like to make.

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Boys’ Knits Review and Giveaway

January 18, 2013November 25, 2019 Olof

Today I´m sharing with you the book Boys’ Knits by Katya Frankel. As most of you know I only know how to make cute little boys. Girls don´t seem to be in the cards for this family. As much as this has been hard on me in the past I have come to terms with the fact that I have boys that are amazing and cute! It is harder to find knits for boys that are masculine but fun. Boys’ Knits is one of very few pattern books that I actually want to knit most of the patters and my picky, almost 5 year old, actually wants me to make for him. I LOVE the vest on the front of the book and the green zipper sweater. Katya also does a great job in the beginning of the book of showing finishing techniques and how to modify the sweaters to fit that skinny, long kid (this is my problem) or if your kid just has a long body. I have to admit that some of the patters I would never make but they are just a matter of taste and over all I would make most of them. I only showed photos of the patters that I will make for my boys. Katya uses popular yarns so it is easy to replicate the model exactly if that is what you want or you can use your own yarns and just make sure the gauge is right. As you know I´m on a yarn diet. No purchasing yarn until I knit down my stash. But I do believe that I have enough yarn for a few of these. As soon as I finish my Snowbird Cardigan which I only have 6cm left to finish the bottom then I will cast on the vest Epsilon on the front of the book.

The Cooperative Press is being kind enough to give an electronic copy of this book to one lucky reader.
You can enter up to 4 times just read how and post a comment for each entry. Don´t forget to leave a way to contact you in the post.
1. Follow my blog and leave in the comment thread how you are following my blog
2. Follow me on twitter. and if you already follow me on twitter then tweet about the giveaway
3. Like my Facebook page if you already like my page then share the post about this giveaway
4. Tell me which one of the patterns is your favorite and you would like to make.

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy

November 14, 2012November 25, 2019 Olof

I just finished Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy Bundle: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. and they were all very good. Mr. Larsson is very good at introducing a character and painting a picture of the main characters. They are flawed like most people and because of their flaws you end up caring for them. The story starts with Blomkvist, an investigative reporter in Sweden, being sued for slander by a man that was really a crook but then Blomkvist gets offered a job investigating an old business man’s family to find what happened to his niece that vanished many years ago and in return Blomkvist will get well paid and the truth about the crook. Blomkvist hires a woman from a private investigation/security agency named Lisbeth Salander to help him investigate this odd case. Lisbeth is a very odd young woman that has a hard time with social interaction but is a wiz with computers. I really enjoyed her. How her brain worked very logically but not socially and how she develops through the books.

That is how the first book starts and the rest is how these characters develop and grow over a 3 year period of time. These books are very descriptive and can be violent. It is a crime drama so that is normal. I almost didn’t read the books but decided to give the first one a try and after I started I couldn’t stop. The 3rd book is a bit hard to get into though since there are so many characters involved and Larsson is such a fickler for giving a back story. But by the end I was glad I read all of the books.

Stieg Larsson had 10 books planed out for Blomkvist and Lisbeth but sadly shortly after he turned in the first 3 books to the publishers he died suddenly of a heart attack. He himself was an investigative reporter before he wrote these books so it does seem that he based these books in a way on himself which makes me wonder.

What did you think of his books?
What are you reading at the moment?

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Daily Bread Baking

November 7, 2012November 25, 2019 Olof

In the process of being more sustainable and saving money, I have been baking our bread. I never thought I could bake bread like this before I bought the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
but as you can see from my following photos that if I can make this so can you. This is the basic recipe that they use in the book but they have lots of other recipes in there that I still haven´t got to trying since this one meets our needs and can be used as pizza dough, rolls, and regular bread.

I start by making the dough. It´s so easy that it literally only takes 5 min to stir it together and there is no kneading needed. I make enough for at least 3 days of bread. Then let it rise for 2-3 hours.

Then I put the dough in the frig for 3 hours or over night. Then I take enough of it out for a loaf and shape it into a ball, the way the book shows you how, it takes less than a minute, and let it stand for 40 min while it warms up and rises some. The rest of the dough goes back in the frig and can be stored up to 14 days.

Then before putting it in the oven I cut slices in it to help it expand in a controlled manner. Once I didn´t do it and it looked like it puked out of one of its side its insides while it baked.

In the oven it goes and bakes for 30 min. and out comes this!

When I run out of dough I go ahead and mix up a new batch straight away in the same bowl with out washing it so it gets a nice sour dough taste, then I always have dough in the frig ready to bake.

As you can tell it takes longer time to make bread than 5 min a day but it takes less work from you than 5 min to make it. All you do is stir and shape and then throw it in the oven. The rest of the time is rising and baking.

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Friday Book Report- Tricks

June 22, 2012November 25, 2019 Olof

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read Tricks by Ellen Hopkins for my book club. It was good. Nothing eyeopening really. As a therapist this is not new news that kids from all walks of life can end up in prostitution and that it all doesn´t look the same. Both boys and girls get sucked into the industry and most of the time out of shame or necessity. I guess I´m just a little jaded. Nothing in this book brought me to tears like others have said in their reviews but I guess I have heard some horrific stories in my profession and if I cried about all of them then I wouldn´t really be very therapeutic for the client or be able to function in general. The author could have played a little more into the shame that comes with getting in this line of work and that being the reason they don´t contact home. That kids with good parents do this and then don´t come back because of how ashamed they are of who they had become.

I would have liked the stories to be all told at once. Like start with one character and finish that story and then go to the next. It did keep my interest and this is one of those books where I just had to finish. It´s a quick read though. If you have a bleeding heart or think homosexuality is wrong then this is not the book for you. Move on. But if you want to learn more about how children get sucked into this profession and how the real world works in countries where the underbelly of society is swept under the carpet because the people that think these people that do drugs, prostitution, or are homosexuals are not worth societies time, then this is the book for you. America has lots of human trafficking because people turn a blind eye to it. These kids often have no where else to go and are doing the best they can with what they have.

If you have read it what do you think?

book, Book report, Book Review, E L James, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Reading

Friday Book Report- Fifty Shades of Grey

June 1, 2012November 25, 2019 Olof

This month I finished the Fifty Shades trilogy and will write a review on the first one today. The first book is Fifty Shades of Grey and I was not able to put it down after I started reading it. The main characters are Christian, a power hungry CEO that is only in his late 20s and Anastasia a girl in her early 20s that is graduating from college and trying to find a job and start her career as a editor. They meet when Anastasia was doing her sick roommate a favor and went to interview him as this young, successful, CEO for the school paper. It was an instant attraction but Christian has specific sexual needs and Anastasia is a virgin. The books are about how they have to work through their differences because they are unable to live with out each other. This is an unusual love story but if you really think about it then it is a typical love story where people have to learn each other´s limits and that we sometimes overstep because of what we believe our needs to be. When we are in love we also might let another person get away with things that you would normally not be ok with but as you see in this book that doesn´t work out. As I stated above this is a trilogy. When this book ended I was in tears. I had to get the next book right then and there to know what happens next. I read all 3 books in one week. NEVER read that much in one week. WARNING: there is a lot of sexual situations in these books. This book gives you a glimps into a specific world that a lot of adults play with or try. Even though that world is not for me and a lot of the activities that happen in this book are not anything that I would ever want to try, it was interesting to learn why people do this and get a better understanding of how people handle these situations.

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Late Friday Book Report- Mockingjay

May 26, 2012November 25, 2019 Olof

I finished up Mockingjay and I was a little bummed at the end of it. The beginning was a little slow and then there was fast pace middle and then almost abrupt ending. As you know when Catching Fire, book two, ended Katniss was saved and hauled out of the arena by the opposition but they left most of the other players for the capital to catch and do as they will to them. Mockingjay is about how opposition is going to win this war and bring back their people held by the capital. I believe that they could have done more with Katniss and Peta´s relationship. At this age there is more excitement when it comes to attraction and it takes up a lot of thinking process. This book is different than the first 2 books. More mental break down and internal struggle. It almost felt rushed. But if you read the first two books then you know you have to read this one. The second leaves you at a cliff hanger where you have to find out what happens next. I couldn´t put this book down. I had to know how it ended but I guess the first two book just got me all hopped up to believe that at some point Katniss will really fall for one or the other guy and it will be an all consuming thing but the one she chose and how it happened was just so…… I don´t know. Unexciting. I´m sad that the story is over. Sad at the way it ended. I had a book club meeting with some friends of mine last night and discussed this book. They both agreed that the beginning was slow, and the end disappointing. My friend Elizabeth said “It was like she was done writing.” and I agree that it was like the writer was sick of writing this story at the end and just needed to let people sort of know what happened after that.

What did you think?

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Friday Book Report- The Hunger Games Trilogy

May 11, 2012November 25, 2019 Olof

So, when I heard the Hunger Games were coming out as a movie I decided to quickly read the first book before seeing the movie. I know that most everybody and their dog have already read this book or seen the movie since it broke all box office records. The book was a very quick and easy read and got me hooked on it straight away. I got very connected with Katniss and the writer, Suzanne Collins, did a great job of painting the picture of this post apocalyptic world that Katniss lives in. I use my kindle to read these books because you get one book borrowed each month for free if you have Prime which we do. I started reading the first book on March 30th and read the book in 3 days. Then I started straight away on the the next book, Catching Fire, for free and read it since it was after the first of the month and I could get it for free. I also finished it in 3 days. Again, very well written and really drew me in. Now I am reading the last book of the trilogy, Mockingjay, and it is different. I´m half way through and again I can´t seem to put it down. So far, I like it even though it took a little more time for it to get started. We will see what I say next week when I have finished the book. I know these books are considered teen fiction but I believe it would be hard for anyone not to connect with Katniss and her fighting for her life in the Hunger Games. This is not a book for young children. There is brutal death and plenty of suspense. There is love and feelings of confusion. Katniss is a survivor and I look forward to telling you how I feel about this last book when I finish it by next Friday.

For those of you that saw the movie and read the book what did you think?